Tuesday, 31 January 2017

“Hopes of Failure” is sparse and minimal yet packed
with detail and intricacies, like Yob and Unearthly Trance stripped of their
psychedelic tendencies to let the raw oppressive riffs do the talking.Aseethe have crafted a slow-burning
masterpiece that reveals more with each listen. Every spin increases the pull
of its hypnotic spell and leaves you with no option but to submit to its
crushing power.

“Hopes of Failure” CD//DD//LP track
listing:

1). Sever The
Head

2). Towers
of Dust

3). Barren
Soil

4). Into The
Sun

The Review:

Thrill Jockey Records continue to bolster the
impressive heavy end of their roster in 2017 with the latest LP from Iowa trio Aseethe.
“Hopes
of Failure” sounds destined to follow in the footsteps of label mates Sumac
and The Body
and bother many an end of year list in eleven months’ time.

Over the
course of four lengthy tracks the band entrances the listener with their
distinct brand of bleak doom. It is sparse and minimal yet packed with detail
and intricacies, like Yob and Unearthly Trance stripped of their psychedelic
tendencies to let the raw oppressive riffs do the talking. Vocals are kept to a
minimum, carefully deployed when necessary for maximum impact such as the
pained howls that accompany the snail-paced downward spiral into misery at the
climax of “Barren Soil”.Aseethe eschew vocals entirely on “Towers
Of Dust”. Instead they focus on aggressive riffage that slowly
degenerates into a jerky discordant locked groove reminiscent of Harvey Milk
at their most awkward.

The band
offer some glimmers of light in amongst the gloom. The middle of “Sever
The Head” breaks down to clean picked guitar that brings a hint of Slint-style
dark post-hardcore to proceedings. This leads to a passage of restrained
heaviness that packs as much of a punch as the punishing riffs that bring the
track to a head.

On “Hopes
Of Failure”, Aseethe have crafted a slow-burning
masterpiece that reveals more with each listen. Every spin increases the pull
of its hypnotic spell and leaves you with no option but
to submit to its crushing power.

Although the band name suggests otherwise, Frozen Planet….1969 dates back
to early 2012! It was then that a heavy-psych jam session between two
Sydney-based musicians, Paul and Frank Attard, and Canberra-based Lachlan
Paine, took place.

Luckily, this afternoon of improvisation at the home of Pepper Shaker Records, Frank
Street Studio, was recorded. However, it wasn’t until over a year later that
the three decided they should finally mix and release some of the material they
had created that day.

They decided this album would be set out like a soundtrack to a film. That film
would be called “Frozen Planet….1969”. It was a digital-only release on Pepper Shaker
Records. Pretty soon this one-off release would become a band called
Frozen
Planet….1969. The emphasis would be on improvisation. No vocals,
just straight-out instrumental jamming. This band would consist of Paul Attard-
guitar, Lachlan Paine- bass and Frank Attard- drums. It was basically a
side-project for the three of them. Paul and Frank had been playing in the
stoner-doom band, Mother Mars. Lachlan was playing in the Canberra heavy rock trio, Looking Glass.
After playing on numerous bills together over the years it seemed only natural
there would be some sort of collaboration between the two bands at some point.

Frozen
Planet….1969 played its first show in February 2014 and it was also
around this time that the band recorded another mammoth jam session. From this
jam session came the second and third releases for the band, “Lost
Traveller Chronicles, Volume 1” (released 20th August 2014) and “Lost
Traveller Chronicles, Volume 2” (released 6th May 2015). The concept
this time would be a travel journal through the constellations, with each song
being a chapter from the journal! Both volumes were released in digital and
physical format on Pepper Shaker Records.

Fast forward then to 11/1/2017 and with Frozen Planet….1969 releasing
their latest album “Electric Smokehouse” the chemistry between the players – Paul Attard on
guitar, Lachlan Paine on bass and Frank Attard on drums is stronger than ever
and can be heard in each one of these new cuts. In fact, it’s not only heard,
its felt, and that’s what makes this record sound so great. The music is alive,
it moves, it gels, and best of all, it’s both heavy and psychedelic.

Given that the album has left such an imprint upon us here at
Sludgelord
acres, we decided to hook us with the band and get them to talk about influences. So here is guitarist
Paul Attard to talk through his top 5 psych based records, as we take our
weekly trip to the extreme, by cranking it to 11.Why do we go to 11, because “It’s one louder, isn’t it?”

Hi there.

It's Paul, the guitarist in Frozen Planet....1969 here.

I have a list here of five albums loosely in the psych genre that I
absolutely love and have inspired and influenced me in some way with my own
music. I tried to aim mainly for heavy psych rock but there were certain
albums I just couldn't look past and they still tie in with psychedelia in some
way and they fit in with the spirit of what Frozen Planet....1969 is all about.

These are in no particular order!

Jimi Hendrix– “Band Of Gypsys”

A great example of a jam band and psych rock. This
album was recorded live at the Fillmore East and featured Billy Cox on bass and
Buddy Miles on drums. EverythingJimi Hendrixdid was great but I've chosen
this album because it features some amazing jamming and tonnes of soul! And it
was a band that hardly had time to prepare before the show. They
just chose a few songs, got up on stage and then just jammed out. 'Machine
Gun' is a stand-out if you want total heavy psych guitar. Hendrix, Cox
and Miles on this album (known as theBand Of Gypsys) are just the ultimate
psych-rock jam band. Some seriously groovy bass and drums fill this
album also. Only six songs were chosen for the album. These songs were taken
from concerts over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day 1969/1970. So much
other great material was left out!

Hawkwind – “Hawkwind”

Hawkwindare known more for being a space-rock band but their
first album has more of a psychedelic vibe to it. It features not only
some dark, trippy psych but also some acoustic, more folky, blues sounding
material- Which is more where guitarist/vocalist Dave Brock was coming from.
Bottom line is, the range of sounds on this album- acoustic twelve-string
guitar and harmonica, some shuffling beats to crazy, way-out sound effects and
heavier, darker guitar sounds- covers a great deal of what I like to hear.

Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band– “Safe
As Milk”

Certainly not a heavy psych rock album! But this
is just great. Straight out psychedelia. And with just the right amount
of blues which is what the Magic Band had been doing for a couple of years
leading up to this album. And I guess it goes without saying that the
blues element is a big part of the foundation of psychedelia and psych rock
anyway!Captain Beefheart(Don Van
Vliet) put together a batch of psych (and blues) flavoured songs for this album
and made them all even more unique with his amazing deep voice over the top. He
was always experimenting with sound too and was always evolving. The
magic band (especially in the incarnation that followed this album) were no
strangers to the extended jam as well.

Atomic Rooster - “Death Walks Behind You”

This is more of a heavy prog rock album but I think
you could still call it a psych rock album. In 1970 most heavy music still
seemed to have a psych or blues vibe to it anyway. Some amazing energy in
these tunes and some great musicianship. They do stretch out at times and
jam. They managed just fine on this album without a bass player with Vincent
Crane covering basslines on the organ. Crane also used a piano on this
album and used it to great effect.Overall,
this album is a great example of early heavy rock involving three musicians who
could improvise really well together.

Monster Magnet– “25........Tab”

Also known as just "Tab".
This recording is often recognised as an EP or mini-album but I think
with an opening track that goes for about half-an-hour and a total playing time
of over fifty minutes we can safely call this an album. The
opening track 'Tab' features some great psych guitars and tape delay sound
effects as well as some great, solid, driving, yet laid back bass and drums.
And later in the song if you zone in on what Wyndorf is saying it only adds to
the trip!A great example of psych rock
from the early 90's.

This is finely honed death metal, referencing all
the greats of the genre from this side of the pond and managing to create an
identity all of its own. Deserted Fear are ones to watch for sure: feral stuff,
crushing all in their path. This album puts 2017 off to a great start for death
metal!

“DeadShores Rising” CD//DD//LP
track listing:

1). Intro

2). The Fall of Leaden Skies

3). The Edge of Insanity

4). Open the Gates

5). Corrosion of Souls

6). Interlude

7). Towards Humanity

8). The Carnage

9). Face Our Destiny

10). Till the Last Drop

11). Carry On

12). A Morbid Vision

13). The Path of Sorrow

The Review:

Deserted
Fear
specialise in the kind of death metal so beloved of Scandinavian and European
bands. Don't think Nile or Immolation. Think Asphyx
and Entombed.
This is the band's third full length and they bring their Teutonic terror to
the masses in fine style here. The tanks roll, the sound is pleasingly clear
and bright, but with the right amount of grit to make this sound... real.

No
super fast blasting here, no so-low-you-can-barely-hear-them vocals. This is
honest to goodness (not much goodness) death metal from Germania.
“The
Fall of Leaden Skies” is the first track after a scene setting intro
and it really sums up the record: if you like this one then “The
Edge of Sanity” will get your neck snapping in similar fashion.

The
band offer up their own sound, but the aforementioned bands, Revel in Flesh,
At The Gates,
Dismember
and so on are all valid reference points. “Corrosion of Souls”, “Towards
Humanity” and “The Carnage” offer up concise and
rocking workouts; the song writing is lean and effective: riffs, changes, good
vocals. Some tracks are pacier than others, but this is all head nodding stuff.
Death metal, as I live and breathe!

“Face Our
Destiny”,
“Till
the Last Drop” and “Carry On” cap off the album in
grandstanding style; so consistent are the band in their sound that the record
just flies by. The album also comes with two bonus tracks, both of admirably
high quality and a nice touch from Century Media to include them.“A Morbid Vision” was my favourite of
the two, with its' Bolt Thrower esque pacing. There is absolutely
nothing to complain about here. This is finely honed death metal, referencing
all the greats of the genre from this side of the pond and managing to create
an identity all of its own. Deserted Fear are ones to watch for sure:
feral stuff, crushing all in their path. This album puts 2017 off to a great
start for death metal!

After
my sixth or seventh uninterrupted listen of "The Light is From Below",
I almost feel like I can invoke words to properly explain what kind of magic
lies within.

Perhaps
I measure too much? Sulking over my illuminated keyboard in a poorly lit room,
slack-jawed from a day of dealing with life's responsibilities and managing the
expectations of others takes its grinding toll. That's where my ritualistic
evening reprieve takes form in the sonic conjuring of doom warlocks Grim Ravine.
Having been somewhat familiar to this outfits output; the self-titled EP, I was
looking forward to hearing what came next.

Hair
standing on the back of my neck, chills running from my shoulders across my
chest, down my spine and grounding out into the floor is what came next.

The
jarring intro to the album's opening track, "Shrine of Misery"
makes you appreciate the ability this band has in composing with a long-form
sensibility. Imagine a mud-slicked boulder, ripped loose by a torrential
downpour and falling ever so destructively towards the bottom of a (forgive the
obvious pun) ravine. The bassists tone flash like piano stabs under solar
flares of guitar omnipresence. This is the doom of colors, textures and
dynamics. Rasped, gasping guttural and freq-sweeping vocalist Gareth Nutbeen
holds the listener present by not commanding your ears attention, rather
demanding it. They've found the frequency balance here and it's a boulder toss
by a behemoth in terms of production nuance in comparison to the first EP. Hats
off to whatever entity focused this.

As
the first track settles down, a moment of bleak dynamics and mood-setting takes
form in "Translunary". We are met with a hypnotic bass melody
accompanied by the unsettling, glistening drips and cavern breaths of eerie
presence,ripped roughshod with an intro
that sounds like your high school hippie art teacher having his head smashed
into the glass bed of his overhead projector, then the third track "Hypernova"
explodes into orbit. A mid-tempo affair, this one rolls like blood down an
Orc's maw, only to pause and stretch, intermingle with battle sweat and spittle
and drop to the mud. Once again, the sweeping sonic overlays and delicate
production nuance don't exist to prove their existence, rather to add to it.
Same is true for the singers' addition to this frenzy- he's not there to stand
out on the battlefield as an aural target, more of an all- encompassing entity.
As this track seizes and contorts to its inevitable demise, I find myself
almost wanting to hit repeat to get dragged through once more. The drummers
percussive balance sits solidly where it should, no diddling, noodling or
gymnastics- a solid frame to hold this all up. It's a lot to hold, mind
you.

The
fourth and final track, "Vacant Mass" rises from the depths
of a feedback-induced droning lament. It then takes form, with vocal cues and
then lifts off with the percussive timing and weight of exactly what the song
is called, a mass rises and lifts. Somewhere around the 3 minute mark of this,
you feel like you've reached a plateau of experience only to be jarred and
shifted in other directions midway through minute 4. Not up or down, just
outwards in all directions simultaneously. Halfway through this almost 13
minute affair, the entire mass explodes and you're made to tumble downwards on
the monolithic shards of audio landscape. Just as you become familiar with the
sense of melody or riff in this new spot, the song drops out and pans back to
show you the vast space around you. Consumed by the experience laid from the
beginning, they cleverly step you back from all of that and let you gain a
sense of relative ease. To be charged and blasted once again into
oblivion.

Thanks
Grim Ravine. You are an anomaly in it's purest definition. I can't describe
your sounds succinctly enough to give them their due justice or proper praise.
For me, that's probably the best compliment I can give. Perhaps I measure too
much?

Their bass heavy instrumental sound
sees them swimming in the same tidal pool as acts like Big Business and the
legendary Melvins, but perhaps without the anthemic hooks of the former and the
flagrant disregard of genre boundaries of the latter.An enjoyable soundtrack, if not a cerebral
challenge.

“Kitsch”
CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. Octo Kaa
Wai

2. Ihre
Idole sind Luegner

3. Arr arr
Cincinnaticat

4. Uhu

5. Saudade

6. Trio
Paradisoprivan

7.
Kanarienvoegelnerven

The Review:

Cologne based ‘bass rock trio’ Octocertainly
tick all three of those boxes. Their bass heavy instrumental sound sees them
swimming in the same tidal pool as acts like Big Business and the legendary Melvins,
but perhaps without the anthemic hooks of the former and the flagrant disregard
of genre boundaries of the latter.

Opener ‘Octo
Kaa Waii’ certainly isn’t cute or demure, striking out with a flatulent
bass groove that flits around with antsy, almost nervous energy. When the drums
lock in, things start to drive, and the bass tone throughout (and indeed
throughout the record) is pleasingly chunky. It spools out into a real head
bobber, powered by some impressive kick work, ending on big scraping held
notes.

‘Ihre Idole
sind Luegner’ is
absolutely filthy, dripping with madcap tempo shifts, ballsy straight eights
and brief snippets of more melodious lines. ‘Arr arr Cincinnaticat’ burbles
and bounces along, throwing in curve balls of stop-start riffs and atonal
overlays, but is hampered by a call and response section that drags a little.

‘Uhu’ from a muted fret-noise
loop into jarring, chugging single notes that hit with mechanical, punchy
precision. ‘Saudade’ twists and turns as toms mete out a big, infectious
groove, before closing with a righteous fuzzed-out solo run. ‘Trio
Paradisoprivan’ is more of a thoughtful meander, not as punchy with a
decent amount of considered layering. Finale ‘Kanarienvoegelnerven’ follows
a similar path, sweeping with a cinematic post-rock flair and an edge of the
dramatic, petering out into a frail synth whine.

While the
trio achieve a lot using all their rhythmic, groove laden powers, there’s a
sense of ‘lack’ surrounding “Kitsch”. It’s not as simple as a
lack of vocals or high-end instrumentation. Overall it seems to be a lack of
true dynamic shift, of differentiation between each track. While the songs are
all different, there seems to be an absence of truer form or distinction –
nothing on “Kitsch”will really
grab the attention of most. ‘Aimless’ is too cruel a word, but the trio don’t
possess the same surety of purpose as some of their peers.
This isn’t to do the band a disservice, it is just that the album seems to
place itself into ‘background listening’ territory. An enjoyable soundtrack, if
not a cerebral challenge.

This is only the
band’s debut but there is a ton of promise here, they present an engrossing style, smart arrangements, and
excellent production, but as good as this is, I only see them getting better
from here.

‘Aeternus’
CD//LP track listing:

1. Auferstehung

2. Verstoßene

3. Niedertracht

4. Illusion

5. Dämmerung

6. Schatten

7. Heimkehr

The Review:

Try as we might, it’s impossible to catch every
worthwhile release in a year, even for someone with a pretty limited musical
taste, like myself. With that in mind, Ånd’s debut album ‘Aeternus’ was released a couple of months ago,
and it is absolutely worth your time. There’s plenty to dig into here, despite
the album’s extra-lean running time.

Post-black metal has been around as a subgenre,
in some form, for more than ten years now. To this point, the term has largely
been reserved for a couple of key stylistic groups. The first would be bands in
the Alcest or Deafheaven vein; black metal and shoegaze hybrids.
The second group occupies a heavier space, focusing on sludge or grind and
hardcore as musical counterpoints. While much closer to that second group than
the first, Ånddoesn’t truly fit into
either mould.

Over the course of the album’s twenty-six
minutes, the band showcases a sound built upon a contrast between slowly picked
black metal melody and deep resonant chords for added heaviness. This gives the
songs a full, layered sound, and it’s easy to get swept up in the moment as the
album goes on. This leads to a very cohesive overall sound for a first album,
though stopping well short of ever feeling repetitive, even as the songs are
often variations on a similar musical theme. “Schatten” stands out for
being speedier than the vast majority of the album, but even then it’s reserved
compared to most other black metal.

Another key point to consider about Ånd is their inclination to remain concise. None of
the songs on the album breach the five minute mark, which is quite the rarity
for a black metal band, a reliance on building mood and atmosphere. It speaks
to the band having a strong grasp of what their sound is and should be, and to
their strength as songwriters. This is only the band’s debut but there is a ton
of promise here: the engrossing style, smart arrangements, and excellent
production. As good as this is, I only see them getting better from here.

Thursday, 26 January 2017

Named after an Earth
song that in turn was named after the first sentence in William Gibson’s “Pattern
Recognition”,Ever Circling Wolves
from Helsinki, Finland wear some of their influences on their sleeve; others,
not so much. At the core of Ever Circling
Wolves’ music is doom metal, a multi-faceted beast of a subgenre by
now, and this four-piece attempts to draw from this well in a distinct manner
and occasionally sprawl into whole other territories.

Born as Henri Harell’s solo project in 2007, Ever Circling Wolves became a real band in
2008 when Arttu Kantola, Otto Forsberg and Niko Karjalainen entered the fold.
This line-up recorded the band’s debut full-length album, “The
Silence from Your Room,” which was self-released in 2009.

In 2010, Arttu left the band and was replaced on
bass by Sami Nevala. To celebrate this, a two-track ep, “Chapter III”,
was recorded and unleashed upon the internet in early 2011. At this time, the
band was also preparing songs for their sophomore full-length, with recordings
starting in 2012. A mountain of a project, due mostly to the conflicting
schedules of all involved, it wasn’t until early 2016 that the album, “Of
Woe or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Gloom”, was
finished. By this time, Niko had moved away from the capital region, and though
still a member of the band and playing with them whenever time allows, had been
filled in for by Eero Järvenpää in practice sessions and shows alike.

With a release date for the album set for the 27th
January via Cimmerian Shade Recordings,
today you can stream the album in full below. Preorder or buy the album here
and for more information about the band check out the links below.

Wednesday, 25 January 2017

This album is a fine piece of Stoner Metal, and is as well
executed and produced, as any other great and famous band on the scene. Grab a
smoke, sit down and listen to it. You will see what I mean.

“Miss
Universe” CD//DD track listing:

1). New Shoes of Mine

2). Seven

3). Moon Shuffle

4). Round Nose Cat

5). Bluebird

6). Space Bar

7). Silver Starlight

8). Rocket

9). Burning Sun

The Review:

The Slovenians of Carnaval have history. They’ve been around
since 2004, and "2" (2009), "1"
(2010) and "Tennis Football Basketball" (2012), their previous albums,
are strongly recommended Stoner jewels. Listen to “1”, as a warm up and you
will see that these guys don’t fuck around: by that time they already were a
solid and impressive band.

Now,
four years after the last full length, they overwhelm us with this “Miss
Universe” (2016, Kapa records). It is an impressive album.
During its nine tracks, everything works perfectly. I would say that it is
everything you can expect from a good Stoner band, with some extra hand of
personality and care. On the track “Seven” (track 2), for instance, it
is amazing how the drums are executed, followed by some well-placed percussion
work and acid bass lines, fat guitars and beautiful vocal work, with the vocals
playing an important and central role throughout the album. It makes an
interesting contrast with the other instruments, balancing the formula with some
delicacy. During the tracks, the right-placed guitar solos are like a
relentless dope binge for ears, and the drums are very creative, brilliantly
followed by the bass in these moments.

Sometimes,
like in the opening track “New shoes of mine”, maybe because of
the dense guitar tones, or the connection with the Blues, it reminds me of Goatsnake,
and I cannot think of a better band to reference. The studio / production work
also deserves a lot of recognition. It sounds fat and greasy, and it pleases me
a lot.

As
I mentioned before, Carnaval is a mature band firing on all
cylinders and on this “Miss Universe”,
there are no loose ties, and all songs are great. “Bluebird” is one of my
favorites, with its hypnotic riff that echoes for days. It is that kind of
music that can last for an hour, and that’s all our stoned minds could ask for.
The next one, “Space bar”, is also catchy, beautifully executed and reminded
me a lot of Red Fang.

This
album is a fine piece of Stoner Metal, and is as well executed and produced, as
any other great and famous band on the scene. Grab a smoke, sit down and listen
to it. You will see what I mean.

In October 2016, Arizona
newcomers GATECREEPER
delivered their stunning new album, 9 colossal tracks of low-end, old-school
death metal that would form the basis of their ferocious 'Sonoran Depravation' album.

Having devastated the underground since their formation
less than three years ago, GATECREEPER unleashed their first full-length
to widespread acclaim.Produced by Ryan
Bram at Homewrecker
Studios and mixed by the master Kurt Ballou (Converge, Nails, Black Breath) at God City
Studios.

'Sonoran
Depravation' is a 30+ minutes infusion of crusty, doom-soaked
death metal at its most infectious and uncompromising, indeed when they use melodies
they're more creepy than pretty. They seem to only be there to allow you to
catch your breath before they sit on your chest and start punching you in the
face again.With a sound
that calls to mind the classic Swedish death metal bands Dismember and Grave
mixed with the impeccable groove of Obituary and Bolt Thrower. Anybody into extreme music should be able to
enjoy the simple brutality and groove this band offer.

With the band slowly carving a name for themselves within the scene, we caught up with
front man Chase aka Hellahammer to talk through his top 5 Death metal albums,
as we take things to the extreme, by cranking it to 11.Why do we go to 11, “It’s one louder, isn’t it?”

Grave – “Into The Grave"

Grave
came out swinging with this debut LP. Caveman death metal from Sweden. Simple
heavy riffs with just enough groove on top of some very entertaining drumming.
This album taught me that it’s ok to throw in some low-key mosh riffs once in a
while.

Dismember
– “Massive Killing Capacity”

I know this one isn’t commonly considered Dismember’s finest work, but it’s definitely
my favorite. They changed their song writing a bit on this one to adopt more of
a “rock” approach and the vocals are a little more “shouty” but I think it all
works perfectly. So many catchy riffs! Every song has multiple sections where I
can’t help air guitar-ing or singing along. I listen to this album at least
once a week and it never gets old.

Deicide
– “Once Upon The Cross”

Perfect death metal album. It’s blasphemous, hard, and most importantly,
catchy! It’s not an easy feat to make things catchy in death metal without
sounding corny and this record has hooks all over the place.

Sentenced
– “Shadows of Past”

I feel like this album doesn’t get the recognition that it deserves. Finland put out
a lot of good death metal, but this one is definitely my favorite LP. It is the
perfect mix of Obituary,
Bolt Thrower,
and “Leprosy”-era Death. There are huge chunky riffs
combined with catchy and memorable leads. I love everything about it including
the title’s poor grammar and the Middle School art class colored pencil cover (both
of which were changed for the re-issue… shake my head). This album is a
definitely a huge influence on what we do in Gatecreeper.

Death
– “Leprosy”

“Leprosy”is what I would consider THE classic death metal album. This album will
continue to be emulated as long as death metal exists

Band Submissions

To those bands who have recently issued their first demo or album via bandcamp and would like to be featured on our 666 Pack Review or considered for a full review or stream please contact Aaron via email including your EPK, band bio, album file or download code, including artwork.

To those bands issuing their sophomore record and so on and would like to be considered for a review or stream on the blog. Get in touch using the same address above

We will consider bands from any genre but exclusively stoner, sludge, doom, psych, post-metal, experimental, black-metal etc. (Whilst I would like to respond to every email, this is not always possible.) Thanks